Type 2

I'd suggest looking at the www.dietdoctor.com website as a first port of call.

Hello and welcome by the way

A reduction in carbohydrate consumption (cut out bread, pasta, sweet things generally and root veg) should soon have you both lighter and with a reduced HbA1c

I would forget most recipe books. The carb content is generally too high for me.

Check out dietdoctor.com.

Has anybody explained T2 to you? If your readings are in the 50s you should be able to get back to normal figures pretty quickly.

Hi and welcome. I'm sure others will come back with book/web recommendations for food info. In general you need to control your total carb intake and not worry about proteins and fats. Examples are having eggs and bacon for breakfast rather than cereal, porridge, toast etc. With a bit of luck and the right diet and exercise you will be able to get the HBA1c back down.

Sorry, forgot to welcome you! As for books The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung is excellent. He also has YouTube videos you should check out.

Ninaando said:

Hi I'm a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic with a hba1c that was in the fifties , I cant remember the exact number. I know I'm overweight and that diet and exercise can possibly reverse this so i was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for books that would help , just general information and recipes. Thankyou

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Hello @Ninaando , and welcome,

The main thing to get back into the normal range, is diet. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help some, as would dr. Jason Fung's the Diabetes Code and dietdoctor.com . I'll also second the bit where most "diabetic" cookbooks are quite useless... I got a few at the start of my own journey, and the bulk of them would make my blood sugars go nuts.

In any case, if your HbA1c is somewhere in the 50's, you should be back into the normal range in no time at all! You can do this!
Jo

Ninaando said:

She did mention having protein for breakfast not cereal and things like that.

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Eggs and bacon.. breakfast of kings..

Ninaando said:

Thankyou , I did have an initial hour long appointment with the diabetic nurse at my surgery who went through it all briefly but if I'm honest with you I think I went into denial a bit and then covid hit and I've been stress eating

or not eating much at all. My diet is pretty carb heavy and I think that's where I'm struggling even if I cut out sugar , that's the bit I find more difficult to understand. She did mention having protein for breakfast not cereal and things like that.

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That's too bad: when finally someone seems know a thing or two about a thing or two (Protein rather than cereal! Yay!), their information does tend to come at a time when we're least likely to absorb any of it. When you're still in the middle of the shock of diagnosis, and going through the stages of grief (denial being one of them), everything people do say goes right over our heads. But hey, that's what the forum's for.

Sugar is a carb. But so are starches and fructose, honey etc... That makes even "natural" sugars bad, but also makes an enemy of bread, rice, wraps, cereals, potatoes, pasta, corn... The thing is though, carbs are addictive. You'll have cravings for a bit as your body does demand them, and then you'll find the cravings, for the bulk of us at least, will go away. It really does come down to kicking a habit. Some go cold turkey, some do it gradually... And if you do go that route, it's entirely up to you. For me, the faster the better, but you might want to take it slow. Your choice!

As for stress eating: Make sure you have comfort food around that isn't bad for you. Pork scratchings, nice hard cheeses, olives, deviled eggs sound good? Extra dark chocolate (85% Lindt is nice, and if you find it too bitter, have a walnut with it, or a gulp of cream), walnuts, pecans, cold cuts... Kind of like a tapas platter, without bread! You can have those and they won't ruin your blood sugars, while still being nice'n'decadent. Maybe some strawberries with unsweetened cream? (Not a whole box, mind you... She said, knowing she can't stop herself from going to the bottom of one either).

You'll get through this.
Jo